Nationals Will Be Without Brad Lord for Crucial Matchup Against Yankees
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The Washington Nationals got a day off on Thursday before they welcome in the New York Yankees for the final series prior to the All-Star break. But unfortunately, the team didn't get the best news when it comes to one of their most important arms.
Per an announcement from the Nationals, right-handed pitcher Brad Lord was placed on the 15-day injured list with left side tightness that is retroactive to July 6. No corresponding move has been made at the time of writing, and it likely won't come until Friday.
This is a massive blow for Washington. Lord has been the most consistent reliever for the Nationals during the first half of the season, and without him available for this matchup against the Yankees, they're going to need all of their pitchers to step up without him.
Brad Lord Won't Be Back Until Late-July
When looking at the glass-half-full side of things, it's a positive that this comes right before the All-Star break since that will reduce the amount of games he's now set to miss. While he'll be out for the matchup against New York and he won't be eligible to return until the middle of their series against the Colorado Rockies on July 21, the four-day break that takes place over July 13-16 via the Home Run Derby, All-Star Game and then two days off means Lord is only guaranteed to miss two full sets against the Yankees and Athletics.
However, there's no sugarcoating the fact that not having Lord, who has an ERA of 3.88 across 27 outings (one start) and 58 innings pitched, will be a massive blow for the Nationals since they have already had issues fielding a unit with relievers who can pitch multiple innings.
Nationals Need Multi-Inning Pitching Options
It will be interesting to see who Washington turns to amid the absence of Lord. Manager Blake Butera said the organization is trying to figure out ways to better prepare their minor league arms for multi-inning outings since they have struggled in those roles when called up to The Show. They've also had to send them back down to the minors because they wouldn't have been available for a few days due to the workload, so losing their most effective multi-inning guy in Lord is not a positive at this stage of the season.
The Nationals are looking to finish strong so they can head into the All-Star break with momentum that they hope will carry over into the second half of the year. But with Lord now on the injured list, that could be difficult to do against a Yankees team looking to get back on track.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai